Apparatus for burning stumps.



S.' F. ZYSSET.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING STUMPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12. 1914.

' Patented June 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

fi'gyre @Y A@ AnaB/vins4 5...... .M .AU ...n A,... f ...5... MC1.. ...A 3./ @A y .y A www J .4r .y

s. F. z YssE. APPARATUS FOR BURNING STUNIPS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12| I9|4| lgll 747 Patentedlune L 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

miran sra-.rae ravrnin'r onirica.,

I SAMUEL F. ZYSSET, F THOMAS, OREGON.

APPARATUS FOR BURNTNG STUMPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

f patented .rune i, 1915.

Application filed March 12, 1914. Serial No. 824,153.

To all it may concern.'

Be it known that l, SAMUEL F. ZYSSET, 'a citizen of the United States, residing at Thomas, in the county of LinnI and State of'Oreg'on, have invented an ImprovedApparatus for Burning, Stumps, of'which the `following is' a specification.

My invention relates to the burning of stumps of-trees, and'is of special value in relation to the vdestruction of stumps for the purposeof` clearing land.

Considerable time and labor is ordinarily required in. order to destroy stumps by burning them, owing largely to the fact that the' 'stumps are usually green or vunseasoned,

vand there is diiiiculty in causing them 'to f undergo combustion, and Vespecially those "portions of the stump which are close to the surface, or below the surface, of the. ground.

In burning a stump, it is desirable that the combustionshall destroy the large mass of woody fiber just below the surface of the ground and commonly designated as the root' system of the stump or tree. Yet considerable diiiiculty is experienced .in Asupplying a stun1p,and one form'of apparatus which I employ, to facilitate the combustion thereof. Fig. 2 isa perspective of a stump furnace which I employ, and which is to be locatedupon one side of the stump. Fig. 3 is' an elevatien showing a` device for supplying air to thefstump during -the'combustion thereof.' Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through astump and the mechanism usedfor destroying the same, this' view representing the condition fof the stump after the combustion has Yprogressed toa `considerable extent. Fig. 5l isa ,perspective'showing a draft member used' for facilitating 'the draftof airV through .the fire during the combu'st'ion of the-stump, Fig. 6 isa fragmen- 1 tary section through the stump and parts adjacent thereto, when the auger hole is' first bored and the fire is built adjacent thereto:

ber of large roots, .integral with the' body therefrom,

The-body of the stump is shownr at 6,j`and the' bark thereofat 7- --the ba'rk beingcut away around thebase of the stump. l. A numof the stump and branching downwardly are shown at 8. These rootstogether constitute the root system ofthe stump. A hole 9is bored into the'lower'portionofV the stump, at orv near the surface of .the ground. This hole extends only through the sapwood, and in the case oflal large stump may extend perhaps six inches into the. same,

The hole may bev of `any desired diameter, but forl practical purposes, in operating upon stumps of considerable size, a twoinch auger hole may be employedgf The ground is shown at 10, andat l1 yis an excavation located upon one side of the stump" 6, and used for holding fuel, the latter being shown at 11, and being of any kind suitable v for the purpose. A furnacebody is shown at l2, and is made of metal and 'has preferl ably the form shown'in Fig. 2. This furnace body is essentially a hood, which v'is open at its bottom and at one end, the opposite end being provided with a doorway 13. A door 14. is pivotally mounted'uponl the hood, an dy is provided with ahole 15 and witha lug 16. Another lug 17 is' mounted rigidlyv -upon the hood, and is adapted. to be engaged by the lug 1 6 when' ver the door Meis turned in a clockwise direction according to Figf 2. With the door 14\op as indicated in Fig. 2, fuel may be placedmithinthe hood. A draft 'pipe 18 extendsupwardly from the hood 12, and is used for purposes of-a chimney, as hereinafter described'.v A disk dam- .per -18a is'adjustably mounted within the draft pipe 18,'and is provided with a handle 19 whereby it may-be turned, in order to regulate the draft of hot air and smoke passing upwardly throughthe draft pipe 18B. The hood 12 is providedwith strengthening ribs 20, each having substantially the form of an arch. l Apipe section-is shown at 21., and in conjunction with another pipe 'section 38 hereinafter mentioned', isused ,for supplyi ing airto the fire. These pipe sections may, if desired, be supported partially upon` a small log 22.

The pipe, made up of the pipe sections y21 and 38f, extends linto close proximity to the hole 9, -andhas an. internal dia'rneterilessthan thatofthe hole, as indicated in fFig. 6. The pipe is in registry with the hole 9, and

when tilde-hole is enlargdby burning, I

hereinafter described, the pipe section 33 may be advanced into it.

The pipe section 21 is provided with a portion 24; which extends upwardly and carries a wind funnel 25 and a vane 26. By aid o f a bearing 27 these parts are free to turn. Braces 28 extend from the wind funnel 25 to the vane 26. Then the wind'blows from any direction, air liows through the pipe and causes, aspiration through the hole 9.

At 29 and 291 are charges of earth, piled up and around the hood 12 and covering the adjacent portion of the stump. This renders the hood almost air tight, and serves to concentrate and localize thel heat generated within the furnace or hood 12, so as to ap ply said heat most eHectively to the task of consuming the stump.

After the stump is burned through I place, upon the side of the stump opposite the location of the hood 12, a second hood 30, having roughly the form of a saddle, as will be understood from Fig. 5, and provided with braces 31 having the form of arches. This hood is also provided with braces 32, extending substantially parallel with each other and crossing the braces 31. A smoke pipe 33 is carried by the hood 30, and extends upwardly from the same. Revolubly mounted within the smoke pipe 33 is a disk damper 34:, which is provided with a handle 35 whereby it may be turned or adjusted. A quantity rof earth 36 may be piled over the hood 30-this being done,V however, some time after the charges of earth 29 and 292L are placed upon and around the opposite portion of the stump.

After the combustion has been carried on for some time, the auger hole 9 becomes much enlarged as shown at 9a, and afterward it assumes the form of a cavity 37, of more or less irregular form, as indicated in Fig. 4. At an advanced stage of the combustion, the hood 12 is removed and a charge of earth 39 takes its place, as shown at the left of Fig. et. The pipe section 21 is also withdrawn, in order that, together with the mechanism shown at the left of Fig. 1, it may be carried to some other part 'of the field, and` used for destroying another stump. The single pipe section 38 is left in place, and from time to time is pushed into the cavity 37 to any desired extent, as the combustion proceeds, and as may be understood The operation of my device is as follows: l

ltlie lire` The base 23, with parts carried by The pipe sections 21 and 38 are placed in registry, or coupled together. The parts thus remain until the burning of the re is' well advanced, and the portion of the pipe 38 within the fire becomes red hot. The. door 1l is now closed, the pipe section 33 being extended through the hole 15. Dirt is next piled over and around the hood 12, as shown at 29. As the fire burns, the ames thereof extend into the auger hole 9, and if the wind blows, a current of airis forced through the pipe, comprising the pipe sections 21 and 33. By turning the damper 18al by aid of the handle 19, the draft may be adjusted at will. As the flames pass intoV the auger hole 9 and out through the pipe 18, now serving as a chimney, the hole becomes. enlarged, as shown at 9 in Fig. 1,. and is gradually burned through the tree. The wood bounding the hole lirst becomes dry or seasoned, next charred, and finally reduced to ashes. The enlarged hole 9a is thus gradually converted into the cavity 3T. dien the hole is burned entirely through the stump and is of considerable mean diameter-say four to six inches-the hood 30 is placed in position, and the quantity of dirt 3G is piled upon this hood. By adjusting the damper 311 a suitable draft is caused totake place through the pipe 33, which serves as a chimney. After thecavity 37 becomes of considerable size,'as indicated in Fig. '-1, the pipe section 21 and base 23, together with parts associated therewith, are removed and carried to some other part of the field, where they are used for treating other stumps in accordance with my invention. The pipe section 3S being left, is gradually pushed or fed into the enlarging cavity, and used for supplying air to burn the stump. Sooner or later the bottom portion of the stump 6 is thus burned away, and the top portion of the stump settles down into the bed of hot coa-lsv below it. The stump, being of` combustible wood, largely supplies its own fuel, and Ais therefore self-consumed. At the same time the adjacent or upper portions of the roots 6 are thoroughly consumed, the root system of the stump being thus effectively destroyed. .I find that by and smoke outlet and open at its bottom and described my invention,

` aid of my invention an average hand is maigre? at oneI end to be located against one side of a stump, an air inlet pipe extending into d the lower part of said furnace with' its inner end in close proximity to the stump and movable progressively therethrough to vsupply air to the stump as a hole is burned therethrough and mechanism for directing a current of air into said air inlet pipe.

'2. Inl a stump'burner, the combination with a furnace adapted to be located against one side of a stump, an air pipe movably extending into the lower portion thereof with its inner `end in close proximity to the stump, of a Wind inlet funnel connected to said pipe, a supporting member carrying said wind 'funnel and movable bodily toward and away from the stump, and a Wind controlled vane for shifting said funnel in to position to receive the air and direct 'he same throughthe air inlet pipe into the urnace.

,.v 3. In a stump burner, the combination of tump, a hood to be located upon the opp0- `si e side of said stump and provided with an outlet for the products of combustion,

furnace tonbe located upon one side of a y and a draft pipe extending into said fur.

nace tov facilitatel the burning of a hole through the stump, and a Wind funnel con nected with said draft pipe and movable bodily there-with toward and from said stump.

Il. In a stump burner, the combination -of a furnace to be located upon one side of a stump, draft inducing mechanism comprising a hood to be located upon the opposite side of said stump and provided with an outlet for products of combustion, a draft pipe movably extending 'into the lower part of said furnace through the door thereof and movable bodily toward saidv stump, said draft pipe being admitted through an open end slot in said furnace door to facilitate the removal of said furnace and its replacement with a charge of earth after a hole is burned through said stump.

ln testimony whereof l have signed my name to this specification in the'presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

SAMUEL F. Zifssn'n Witnesses:

`W. L. Manns, LEILA MITCHELL. 

